Ratliffe named Big 12 player of the week

Missouri men’s basketball senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe has been named the Big 12 Conference’s player of the week. It is the first weekly honor from the conference to be given to any member of the program, which is expected to receive a top three ranking when the polls are released later this afternoon.

Ratliffe was a commanding force in his team’s pair of victories this week. Against Texas A&M, he scored 17 points along with six rebounds.

Ratliffe played against No. 3 Baylor on Saturday and powered the Tigers (18-1, 5-1 Big 12) to their first road win over a top five team since 1994 after notching a career-high 27 points. He added eight rebounds in Waco, Texas, against a team with much greater height.

Ratliffe, on pace to break the Division I record for field goal percentage of .746, shot 16 of 21 on the week. Having only missed 36 shots all season, he’s currently shooting .772.

“I try to finish every play,” Ratliffe said earlier in the week. “I can tell when I miss shots. I’m conscious of it, but I try not to worry about it. I’m just focused on winning.”